THE Scarteen Hunt Branch of the Irish Pony Club took the brave decision to run an Open class at their well-supported Connolly’s Red Mills eventing championships qualifier at Hillcrest last Sunday and were rewarded with an excellent entry of 11, six of whom completed.

The win went to Kildare’s Alice Curley whose total of 39.10 on her 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare DSL Allegra included nine show jumping penalties and 1.6 for time across the country. Co Limerick’s Ben Buckley led after dressage (26) on Tullabeg Flamenco but eight penalties were added in the show jumping ring and 5.2 across the country. The United Branch’s Isabel Fitzgerald posted the only clear inside the time across the country on OLS Pixie Hollow but had to settle for third (40.75) having had a pole down show jumping.

The Killinicks recorded a double through Keira Crowther, who completed on her winning dressage score in the Intermediate with the 15-year-old Appaloosa gelding Tomoka Spots (26.5) and Kate Jordan, who likewise finished on her leading first-phase score with the six-year-old thoroughbred gelding Serene Ace (30.75) to win Section A of the Intro Intermediate. In Section B, eight show jumping penalties proved costly for West Waterford’s dressage winner Caoilainn Foley who had to settle for second on Monatrea Xavier (34.25) behind United’s Reuben Hall on the five-year-old ISH gelding RHF Rebus (33.75).

The three divisions of the Junior class were won by the Duhallows’ Grace Cronin with the 16-year-old ISH mare Newmarket Dancer, by Newcastle Lyons’s Lauren Blake on the 12-year-old grey gelding Cleighrane Warrior and by Jessica Coveney of the South Union Branch with Rio.